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ETERNAL REWARDS

Jeff Meyer

Vocatio Publishers Phoenix, Arizona

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Vocatio Publishers 3841 E. Chandler Blvd, Suite # 106-106 Phoenix, AZ 85048, USA e-mail: ceo@vocatio.us www.vocatio.us

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. To request the rights please write:

Copyright 2009 by VOCATIO All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. This book is written from tapes recorded at Arizona Community Church, Tempe, Arizona, as a sermon series preached in 2006.

ISBN 978-1-935227-05-2

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Contents
Chapter One Go For The Gold .................................................. 7 23 39 54 65

Chapter Two What Does It Mean to Be Saved? ........................ Chapter Three What Jesus Will Be Looking For ........................ Chapter Four Reaching For The Prize .......................................

Chapter Five The Final Judgment .............................................

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Chapter One

Go For The Gold

The twenty-first century church is losing its influence in the United States. Many would agree there is very little difference between the morals and values of a person who attends church and professes the name of Jesus Christ and the person who does not. They ask, Because a person is saved by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), then where do works fit into the life of the Christian? If all my sins are forgiven, then does it really matter how I live my life as a Christian? Or they will say, And if I do sin 1 John 1:9 says, all I need to do is confess those sins and Jesus will forgive me. As people read and study the various warning passages found throughout the New Testament they conclude that these passages must be dealing with the unsaved. Many are confused about the Bibles teaching on eternal rewards and conclude that the experience of heaven will be the same for everyone. We find very little difference between the person who claims a relationship with Jesus Christ and the person who denies Jesus Christ. 7

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We all know individuals who at one time made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and for a period of time were walking the talk. Later something happens and they begin to walk away from the Lord and live a lifestyle that contradicts their faith. Even in your own experience with Christ, you may go through different seasons where you may get lazy or even rebellious against God. Perhaps none of you would admit this, but I know that has happened in my own life. I came to know the Lord very early in my life and have walked with Him for many years. There were seasons, however, when I was younger that you probably couldnt tell a big difference in my lifestyle from that of the nonbeliever. Im just being honest with you and Im sure there are seasons of your life in which youve had those same experiences. You may not have committed a crime or been put in jail, but in your attitude or value system you were not honoring the Lord in your lifestyle as a believer. We try to solve the dilemma of the sinning Christian in several ways. First, we question the sincerity of their salvation and quickly draw the conclusion that they probably never were saved at all. Our evaluation of whether that person is saved or not is based upon their behavior. Another group will say that the person was likely saved at one time but they now have lost their salvation. This group teaches that a person can do something so horrible, or begin to live an inconsistent lifestyle that causes them to fall from grace and no longer be saved. 8 Sincerity of salvation

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Others will say that there is more to the gospel than just believing in Jesus as Savior. This is what my seminary professor called front-loading the gospel message. The Bible tells us that a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ by believing that He died on the cross for their sins, and by that death and that death alone the penalty of sin has been paid. Some will say that believing is not enough, however. People need to confess, they need to repent, they need to be baptized. We add all of this to the beginning of the gospel, instead of teaching the simplicity of believing in Jesus as Savior. We also tend to not just front-load the gospel, we back-load the gospel. In other words, we say, Now that you are saved, heres what you need to do. And we add on all these extra qualifications to make sure you are compliant. And its not only what you do, but there is a list of restraints. Have you ever noticed that the nonbelieving world tends to define the Christian life as more of what we dont do than what we do? We do this to ourselves. We add on all of these extra requirements to set up some kind of parameter of being able to say, Now I know that I am saved. So we front-load or back-load the gospel message. To deal with this dilemma of the sinning Christian, were going to take a look at what the Bible has to say about a person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ and yet they are not living a lifestyle that would bring evidence of that relationship with Christ. What is going on? Will there 9 Back-load gospel

Front-load gospel

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be any consequence? What about the motivation for us knowing that we are totally forgivenwhat is our motivation to live for Christ? Do our actions and behavior really matter once we come to know Jesus as Savior? We live in a world today in which most people say that they are Christians or at least religious, and yet the church is having very little impact in the world around us. Im not talking about individual local churches; Im talking about the church world as a whole the body of Christ. Matthew 5:13-14 calls us to be salt and light in the world, but statistics show more and more that the church is having very little impact in the moral fiber of our nation. What is happening? Here are some facts the Bible clearly teaches about salvation. The first fact is that we have to understand Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. In other words, heaven is not a reward. It is not a prize that if we live a good enough life, we will earn or be rewarded with heaven. We are not dealing with this issue. The eternal destination of a personwhether they will spend eternity in heaven or separated from God in hellis based upon a decision by faith in what Jesus Christ did on the cross. There is nothing we can do to earn heaven. Thus we are not talking about the idea of salvation of deliverance from hell, based upon works. The Bible is very clear about that in Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves. 10 Salvation is by grace Church impact weakened

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It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. If heaven is something we earn, if it is a reward for living a good life, then the focus is on us instead of God. Thats basically what Paul is saying here in this passage; God has designed salvation to not be an issue of us but totally an issue of Him. It is not what we do but its what has already been done. Romans 5:10 says that God loves us and demonstrated His love for us while we were still an enemy and separated from Him. Every other faith system, every other belief system, every other ism in the world, says that somehow we have to earn favor with God. Christianity is the only faith that says its not about usits about God. And so we realize that it is a gift, not of works. Titus chapter 3 says the same thing: But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (verses 4-5). Throughout its pages, the Bible tells us that salvation is a gift. Heaven and eternal life. It is the gift and not rewards. So if you are trying to find favor with God by living the good life, you are on a treadmill that will get you nowhere. Its not about what you are doing; its about what God has already done. Thats one of the things we need to totally understand when we deal with this idea of rewards and where works fit in. Its not about salvation. Second, the Bible tells us we can know with certainty that we have eternal life. With all of the uncertainty about life 11 Life is eternal Salvation is a gift

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and the future, God wants us all to be absolutely sure of one thing, and that is if we will spend eternity in heaven or hell. First John 5:13 says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you might know that you have eternal life. God wants us to know. There is a problem, however, with some of the answers to the sinning Christian issue that I brought up earlier. If my confidence in knowing Christ is based upon my works, and that I am keeping my salvation by my behavior, I think all of us know deep down that we dont have a certainty if it is based on how good we are doing. We may have hidden behaviors nobody knows about. We may have some invisible attitudes and issues going on, those private sins of our lives that we all have. We may publicly be presenting a good person but we have a dark side internally. And we know that dark side whether anybody else knows it or not. If my salvation is based upon how I am living my life, both externally as well as internally, none of us can have confidence in knowing Christ as our Savior. Well be wondering every time we sin, Is that a big enough sin for me to have lost my salvation, and is God keeping track? Well be living in fear of not knowing if we have salvation or not. This is why the Bible tells us we can know with absolute certainty that we have eternal life. Scripture clearly teaches that we cannot lose our salvation. I know there are godly people who would disagree with this, but the Bible is very clear on this fact. We are secure 12 All of us have a dark side

Security in Jesus Christ

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in Jesus Christ. The first chapter of the book of Ephesians tells us that we are called, we are chosen, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, we already have an inheritance guaranteed to us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself made the statement in John 10:27-28, My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My salvation was not dependent upon me to get it, nor is it dependent on me to maintain it. I am secure in Christ because He holds me. There is something, though, that does provide an answer for us about the sinning Christian. What about the person who makes a profession of faith, who truly believes in Christ, and then all of a sudden goes loopy in their walk with the Lord? Do they lose their salvation? Did they ever have it? The Bible tells us that is not the right question. It tells us simply that one day all of us will give an account of our lives before the Lord. Some will say that if I am already forgiven for all of the sins I have committed, then what am I going to be judged on? What will I give an account for? It wont be that big of a deal if everything is already forgiven. This is what the apostle Paul says about giving an account of his life: So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Paul includes himself with the statement, we must all stand before the Lord. Writing to a group of believers in 13 Our accountability

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the church at Corinth, he says that one of the things we strive for, one of our passions and purpose in life, is to please God. He is not talking here about heaven or hell because he is talking to believers, those who have already made a decision for Jesus Christ. Nor is he saying that we work real hard because we want to please God to earn salvation. No, he is saying that we please God because we are going to stand before Him someday and give an account of our lives. As parents you know there are times you love your children because they are your children, but you are not really pleased with their behavior. How many of you as parents have ever had that situation? You realize that, yes, this is my son or my daughter and you may say it hesitantly, but you know there is nothing you can do that can cause them to no longer be your son or daughter. Its a blood relationship, and this relationship itself is not affected, but the fellowship of the relationship may be. This is what Paul is talking about. There is an opportunity for us to have a relationship with our loving heavenly Father, but He may sometimes be displeased by our behavior. Paul wants to be sure he is living a life because of the relationship he has with God that pleases Him, not just for the sake of being able to say that he wants to have a happy God. The reason Paul strives to please God is that we must all stand before the Lord. Every believer will give an account of his or her own life. First judgment: Consequence of being born into sin The Bible describes three judgments that you and I face as followers of Jesus Christ. The first one is an issue of the past. We were judged as sinners. God looked down upon 14

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humanity and said, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). No one is able to pay the penalty of sin because everyone is found guilty. So God answered the dilemma of the judgment of you and me as sinners based upon Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to this earth. He lived a perfect life and then shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for sinnot His sin, but ours. So now there is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:1). That judgment was placed upon Jesus Christ. We no longer stand condemned under the penalty of sin if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ. There is a second judgment that is ongoing right now. We are judged currently as sons and daughters. Hebrews 12:7-12 says, Second judgment: Ongoing discipline

The writer of Hebrews is saying here that currently we are being disciplined, literally chastened, by God because of a 15

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

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love relationship He has as our heavenly Father. Although we are forgiven from the penalty of sin, we still sin. We still fall away. We still have issues in our lives that God wants to deal with. We are not under a condemnation; thats already been taken care of, but we are under the judgment of our own sin right now. And God will discipline us when we get offtrack in obedience to Him throughout life. Sometimes we wonder why we go through struggles and hardships. It may be that God is disciplining us. It may be that we have violated some principle or boundary within His Word and He is saying that we need to get back on track. It is not out of anger and wrath that He is pouring it out upon us, but it is out of love. It is an issue of obedience. Its just like you as a parent. The greatest act of love you can give your children is discipline to help them understand that their actions are not a good way to live. The greatest act of love is when we say no and bring them back on track. This is exactly the same way our heavenly Father deals with us. So just because we are forgiven doesnt mean that God now lets us go and tells us to live however we want to, and just before we go to bed at night pray, Please forgive me. Thats not how it works. God is actively involved in our lives right now, keeping us on track. He does it out of love. We are being judged as sons and daughters by a heavenly Father because of the daily activities of sin we find ourselves involved in. The Bible also says there is a third judgment we will face. This is a future judgment in which we will be judged as servants. Earlier we looked at 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Romans 14:12 is a parallel passage: So then, each of us will 16 Third judgment: Judged as servants

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[stand before the Lord and (Romans 14:10)] give an account of himself to God.

The first characteristic of the third judgment is: This is known as the Bema seat. A bema in the Greek literally was a raised platform, similar to what winners stand upon at the completion of an Olympic game and they are rewarded for their efforts. First of all, each of us will give an individual account of our self to God. I will give an account of myself and you will give an account of yourself. Its not a time that I can come and say I did better than someone else. Nor can I call in somebody else to defend me and say, You know what? Thats really not how it was and heres somebody who can defend me. No, its going to be standing face-toface individually with God. Third judgmentsecond characteristic: Impartially, our status has no bearing

Third judgmentfirst characteristic: Individually, we will be face-to-face with God

Second, we find that we are going to be judged impartially. God does not show favoritism. A persons power, wealth and influence here on this earth will not matter when he stands before the Lord. Theres nothing wrong with having power, wealth, and influence, but God is not going to be impressed with that. Pastors and missionaries are not going to have a different standard for judgment than a person who may not have had that calling. In fact, the Bible records in Romans 14:12 that pastors, missionaries, and teachers will have an even greater accountability because we are called to lead and show others how to live. If we 17

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arent doing it right ourselves, then we will have a greater judgment. But we will be judged impartially. That may be hard for us to imagine because we havent seen our judicial systems always judge impartially. Although it is still the very best in the world, there is always just a little taintedness to some of the things that happen. However, God will be an impartial Judge. Third judgmentthird characteristic: Thoroughly, our intent and attitude

We also know as well that we will be judged thoroughly. First Corinthians 4:5 says, Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of mens hearts. You see, we are not only going to be judged for our behavior, but we will also be judged for our intent and the attitude of how and why we did what we did. God is not always as interested in the results as He is in the process of how we get to the results. We might be able to tell our kids to get a good grade on their math test, but if they cheat, then we are disappointed with the good grade. Its the same thing: The end doesnt justify the means. God is not only going to look at the ends but He is also going to look at how we got there. He is going to judge the very intentions of our hearts Third judgmentfourth characteristic: Graciously, judged with love

We also recognize that we will be judged graciously. Jesus Christ is going to do the judging and the evaluation. He has already proven to us that He loves us so He is not going to 18

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set us up to fail. He is not going to be judging us in anger and wrath. That condemnation has already been completed. He does tell us, however, that we will be judged graciously. Each mans praise will come to him from God. Im sure that Jesus is going to find something good about all of us. I dont mean that in a negative way. Its not going to be just the idea of sorrow; there will be graciousness in how we are judged. I recently read a great story that illustrates this truth. You have two children and you tell one that if he mows the lawn for the next six weeks you and he will go camping. You tell the other one that if she cleans her room over the next six weeks, you and she will go shopping. The one that likes camping doesnt like shopping; the one that likes shopping doesnt like camping. So you promise to do something with them that they really want to do. The one whos supposed to mow the lawn does it for the first couple of weeks, and then the next couple of weeks he doesnt do all of it. He just keeps putting it off. Finally on the sixth week he decides, Im not going to do it at all. The one who was supposed to keep her room clean for the next six weeks did it very diligently. Now it is time for the reward. To the one who didnt mow the lawn for the six weeks, you simply say, You know what? Were not going to go camping. It is not out of anger, it is not out of judgment, its not out of condemnation. You simply say, We agreed that for six weeks youd mow the lawn. You didnt do that so you are not going to receive the camping trip. That child walks away disappointed, frustrated, upset, and crying. You are displeased and saddened, but youre not angry. You know that your son is just facing the consequences of not doing what he said he was going to do. To the one child who kept her room clean, you say, Lets go shopping, and you go. Youre not favoring one 19

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over the other. Youre simply saying the one who was obedient is experiencing the reward of their obedience. Its not that you love one more or favor one more, or even that you like shopping over camping. Its just that the reward is based on the obedience. And thats exactly how the Bema seat is going to be. The Bible says there are things God wants us to do while here on earth, and as long as we are obedient to those things, we can expect reward. Not only heaven, but once in heaven great rewards and great privileges. But if we choose not to obey those things, just wander along in life, and do as we please, then when it comes to the Day of Judgment, we will lose out on the blessing and some of the privileges of heaven. That is what the Bema seat is all about. And we will be judged graciously. We now have the light of knowing that our lives here on earth will have a huge impact on the quality of our lives for eternity. We tend to think that heaven will be the same for everybody, but the Bible doesnt tell us that. It indicates heaven is going to be a wonderful place, but it doesnt say everyone will have the same experience there. Those who were disobedient will still obtain heaven because it is a gift, but their experience is not going to be the same. Judgment conclusion: Where do you stand?

So the question you have to ask yourself today is, In the light of knowing, as Paul said, that I strive to please Christ because I am going to face Christ one-on-one to give an account of my life, how does that affect my life today? 20

Surviving the judgments: Be victorious

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You see, it is not a license to do as we please; the Bible calls us to live lives worthy of our calling. If you have never taken that first step of knowing Christ as your savior and realize that He paid the penalty for your sin, your judgment as a sinner has not been dealt with yet. He simply asks you to receive salvation by faith and begin a wonderful journey and relationship with him. Heaven is not to be earned. Its not for working hard. Its realizing that He has already paid the penalty for your sin and He invites you to ask Him into your life and to forgive you of your sin. Thats the first step. If you have never done that, you can do it today. If you have accepted Christ, then you need to realize that your life and your behavior do matter right now. An accountability and evaluation will take place when you stand before God. So living in the light of that, what needs to be different? Have you gotten lazy or maybe a little bit relaxed with the grace of God in your life? Paul conveys in 2 Corinthians 5:8-10 that he strives, he passionately desires, to live a life pleasing to God because he knows he will face Him one day.

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Lord, I have been reminded again that Your Word provides for me a lot of answers on how I am to live life. Lord, I have gotten lazy at times in my personal life and in my walk with You. I have allowed sin to continue in my life and I dont take it seriously because I may not face immediate consequences. But Lord, You have called me to be salt and light, to be an influence, to live a godly life because I will someday stand before You. And so, Lord, as I have opened Your Word, may You open my heart and my mind. May I today have a sense of anticipation and a desire to live a godly life before You. Lord, You have not given me that command without giving me the resources of Your Spirit, of Your Word, and of Your people to help us journey through this life together. I commit myself into Your hands, and I know that through it all, that it is by grace and grace alone that I am able to live each day. So I again, afresh and anew, commit myself in Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer:

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Chapter Two

What Does It Mean to Be Saved?

In the last chapter we discussed the idea that each of us will stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives. Sometimes believers ask the questions, What does that really mean? If I am forgiven of all the sins I have committed and Jesus has paid the penalty for these sins, what will I be accountable for? The apostle Paul was very passionate about this issue. It motivated him in his walk with Christ. He said that in many ways this was a tremendous passion for him: to make sure people understood that just because they are forgiven, this doesnt mean they wont give an account of their lives. He writes: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). Oftentimes we have questions about the sinning Christian, the person who professes a relationship with Jesus Christ but their lifestyle contradicts that profession. What 23

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about them? In the last chapter we discussed one of the ways people try to answer that question: They probably never were saved. They really didnt have a true profession of faith. And so we question the sincerity of their salvation. Others will say, Maybe they were saved at one time but now theyve lost their salvation because of some behavior or some attitude. How do we deal with this issue? The Bible tells us that perhaps we dont totally understand this issue of salvation. And thats where a lot of the confusion comes in. Lets look at what the Bible teaches us about what salvation is really all about. The word salvation basically means to deliver. There are two components: 1) someone who is in desperate need of rescuing but cannot save themselves, and 2) someone else who is both willing as well as able. Now we recognize that there are times that people may be willing to save someone else, such as to rescue them from a swimming pool, but they are not able to do so as they cant swim themselves. Or we find times that someone will come along who may be able to save someone else but they are not willing to do it. Thus the person who is doing the rescuing both has to be willing, as well as able to deliver, to save someone from an impending danger. The word saved in Scripture often deals with the idea of physical deliverance from danger, disease or death. We see this in the Old Testament with the nation of Israel being saved or delivered from their enemy. This has nothing to do with spiritual or eternal salvation. We need to be careful when we look at words in Scripture. We cant just automatically assume that because the Bible says saved, it is talking about spiritual or eternal deliverance. The passage may be dealing with danger or 24

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disease or death. We see the apostle Paul out on a boat heading toward Rome and a storm comes along and he says, God saved me. Pauls not talking about eternal salvation here. Hes saying that God delivered him from danger. But we also know that there is another part of salvation in Scripture that deals with spiritual deliverance. This is the ultimate deliverance in which God rescues us from eternal damnation in hell. Thats the idea of salvation. Now again, recognize those two components we mentioned earlier. First, someone is unable to save themselves. We are desperately sinful and we cannot save ourselves. We cannot deliver ourselves from hell. Nothing we can do can do that. We are desperately in need of a savior. The second component is that Jesus Christ is both willing as well as able to deliver us, to save us from hell. And thats spiritual deliverance. There are three aspects to this salvation in Scripture, which we want to look at now as this is where most of the confusion arises when it comes to the question of what do we do with the sinning Christian. We have a Deliverer (Rescuer) We are condemned

The first aspect of salvation is what we call justification, that which has already been accomplished because Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin. There are a couple of things we need to understand about justification. First, justification is a judicial act. God as the Judge declares the 25

We are justified

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sinner righteous. It is not that we become righteous; we are declared righteous. God is making a judicial act as Judge to be able to say that you and I as sinners are now declared righteous when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. This means that when we stand before God, apart from Jesus Christ, we stand totally guilty before Him, ready for whatever wrath or condemnation God wants to place on us. But because of what Jesus did on the crosstaking our sin and placing it upon Himself, and paying the penalty for our sinHis righteousness is now placed upon those of us who have placed our faith in Him. Its not just that we gave Him our sin and He paid the penalty, but He also gave us His righteousness, His purity. Now it is ours (2 Corinthians 5:21). So now when God looks down upon us, He no longer sees a guilty sinner, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ in us. We recognize this from Romans 3:21-22: But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known ... This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. This righteousness is not anything that we do. It is not because we are better than someone else; it is not because God looks down in favor upon us. It is that His righteousness is placed upon us. We also recognize that the work is already done. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Again, it has been done in the past. When Jesus died on the cross more than two thousand years ago, He paid the penalty of sin. And people who receive that salvation are now saved. They are now justified. We also recognize that salvation is a gift. We continue to repeat this because this message oftentimes brings a lot of confusion for people. It has nothing to do with works. For 26

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all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). We also know from Ephesians 2:8 and 9 that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. Justification is the gift God has given us. Romans 3:20 says, Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. It has nothing to do with works. It is by faith and faith alone that we are justified and saved from the penalty of sin. This idea of faith being so simple as to just place our faith in Jesus Christ to be saved has confused a lot of people. They say, It must take more than that. We have changed some of the language when we talk about the issue of faith. We talk about a saving faith, we talk about a dead faith, and we say it has to be more than just an intellectual assent to what Jesus did. But the idea of faith in the Bible is really only asking, Do I take God at His word? Do I believe what God has said about this aspect of salvation? What has God told us about this aspect of salvation? Number one: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Thats the first thing we must believe. Not that He was just a great teacher, not that He was just a great prophet, not even that He was just one of the great moral leaders of human history. We must believe in the very deity of Jesus Christ, that He left all of His glory and came to this earth. That He was fully God and fully man. Part of the gospel message is understanding it has to do with the person Jesus Christ. Thats not that easy to believe, 27 Conditions of salvation: Believe Jesus is Gods Son

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is it? That someone who walked this earth some two thousand years ago was literally God Himself. That He clothed Himself in human flesh and walked among us for thirtythree years. It takes a lot of faith to believe that. And yet its true, and many of you recognize that fact. If you dont believe that He is the Son of God, then you are not saved. This is what sets us apart from other faiths. They may believe in Jesus, that He was a good man, and even a great prophet. Some believe that He was a man who became a god. Thats not what the Bible tells us about Jesus, however. We have to recognize that Jesus was God Himself who became man and walked among us. Thats the first aspect we need to understand about salvation: It is a relationship with God Himself. Conditions of salvation: Believe Jesus death, burial and resurrection

Another aspect of the gospel message is that it takes more than believing in God and His deity. To be saved, we need to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, that He was buried, He truly died, and He rose again giving us newness of life. That act alone saves us. If you believe that, you are saved. You are justified. You are now declared righteous. It is not just an intellectual assent. Its salvation. Expressions of salvation: Repent A lot of people struggle with that. They say there has to be more to it. And so we add on to the gospel message. Instead of saying, You must believe that Jesus was the Son of God, died on the cross and rose again, we add more require28

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ments. For example, we say a person must first repent and believe. In other words, they must have anguish and painful sorrow over their sin to truly be saved. The Bible doesnt teach that, although it does talk about repentance. The idea of repentance means that we change our minds and our thinking. When Scripture says to repent and be saved, it is saying we must change our minds about who Jesus is. You see, John the Baptist and all of the apostles were dealing with the Jewsthe rabbis and teacherswho didnt believe that Jesus was their savior. They told the people that they couldnt be saved by merely believing, that the law could save them. However, John the Baptist and the apostles said the people had to repent and change their mind about the law and toward Jesus Christ. Thats repentance. Im not saying people arent going to be sorrowful for their sin. We need to understand our need of a savior before we believe in Him. If you believe you are good enough to attain heaven on your own, you will never have sorrow for sin. Many people are sorry for their behavior and are painfully aware of the consequences of their sin, but that doesnt save them. Others will say that a person must first surrender their life and make a commitment before they are saved. Surrendering is something that you and I as followers of Jesus Christ are to do; it is not a condition for salvation. Surrender is an expression of salvation. Romans 12:1 and 2 says, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices. Once we are saved, once we are justified, we begin to surrender our lives. But we cant ask a person who is not 29 Expressions of salvation: Surrender

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Others will say that you need to join a church, to become part of a denomination. Again, joining a church is not a condition of salvation; it is an expression. In fact, the Bible tells us that we need to be a part of the family of God. I recently read a newspaper article stating that the state of Arizona, where I live, ranks near the top in the number of people who do not attend church on Sunday morning. Apparently in this Southwest state the streets are pretty empty on Sunday mornings, other than people jogging and heading over to Starbucks. People just dont feel the importance of church anymore, and that might be our fault. We are not providing something worth coming to. This needs to change as the Bible tells us that we are not to forsake the assembly. Hebrews 10:25 says Let us not give up meeting together. But again, church attendance is not the condition of salvation; it is an expression of it. We do not gather together 30

Expressions of salvation: Church involvement

Then some churches add on that a person must believe and be baptized. Again, baptism isnt a condition of salvation; its an expression of salvation. When we celebrate with those who are being baptized, we realize that many of them may have known the Lord for a long period of time, but they have never followed Him in obedience of baptism. Thus, baptism is a public profession of something that has already taken place in their life. It's not a condition for salvation.

Expressions of salvation: Baptism

saved to first surrender. They dont have the ability to do so. They need to be saved and then they surrender their lives.

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as a requirement of our salvation, it is because we are saved that we want to gather together. We want to be with Gods people. We want to learn from Gods word. But we dont make it a condition of salvation. Another aspect that we need to be aware of is believe and confess (Romans 10:9-10). People in many denominations feel a person cannot be saved unless they make a public profession of their faith by walking down an aisle. There is nothing wrong with this. There is something very powerful about making a public profession of faith. But the danger is when we make it a condition instead of an expression of salvation. We add on to the gospel. Instead of saying that a person needs to believe, we say that a person needs to believe and then we add on these other things to be saved. In answer to the question, What must I do to be saved? the Bible says simply, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31). Thats the first aspect of salvation. It comes by faith and faith alone. And we are justified. The Bible says there is more to salvation than just justification, however. It also talks about a second part of salvation known as sanctification in which Jesus saves us from the power of sin. You who know Christ as your savior and have walked with Him realize that just because you were justified and declared righteous doesnt mean you are righteous. You deal with sin issues every daysome of them are perhaps the same ones you dealt with before you were justified. 31 Process of salvation: Sanctification Expressions of salvation: Public profession

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As you struggle with these sin issues, you ask yourself, How can I do this? What is going on? If I truly knew Christ, would I still be doing this? The Bible says we are tempted in every way, even though we know Christ as our savior (1 Cor 10:13). Just because we are justified and saved from the penalty of sin doesnt mean we are automatically saved from the power of sin. Thats an ongoing battle, and its different with everyone. Issues you are dealing with I may never deal with. And some things I experience in my walk with Christ and the power of sin in my life, you may never experience. Thats why the Bible says we shouldnt stand in judgment of one another as we all have weaknesses and limitations. Part of the salvation we are experiencing is Jesus saving us from the power of sin in our lives. Paul, in speaking to believers, says in Romans 6:11 and 12, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Paul is saying, as a believer in Jesus Christ, dont let sin have lordship in your life. Hes not questioning whether a person is saved or not. He is saying although you are saved and justified, make sure that you are also being sanctified and that is an ongoing process. We also know that sanctification is based totally upon works, whereas justification has nothing to do with works. Philippians 2:12 says to continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. When we read a passage like this, we need to make sure we understand what aspect of salvation we are talking about. If I am reading a passage like this in Scripture, and all of a sudden I see a verse on working out my salvation and I think that it is talking about justification, Im going 32

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to think I am working to be saved from the penalty of sin. But the Bible says salvation is a free gift that has nothing to do with works. Sanctification, howeverbeing saved from the power of sinis a daily battle which has to do with obedience. It has to do with my willingness to admit that what God has to say in His Word is vital for my life and I need to do what it says. We face this battle daily. God has given us all the instruction we need in His Word to have victory over the power of sin in our life. He has also placed His Spirit within us and given us other believers to keep us accountable. Now heres the interesting thing. We may be saved from the penalty of sin and we are secure. Other people, however, are not being saved from the power of sin in their life, and those are the ones the Bible refers to as carnal Christians. The book of Corinthians tells us that there are three types of people in the world: the spiritual, the nonspiritual or the nonbeliever, and the carnal Christian. The third type is a follower of Jesus Christ who is saved from the penalty of sin, but they are not allowing Christ to save them from the power of sin in their life. They are not growing and gaining victory over this power, they are not keeping Christ on the throne of their lives, and they do not live Christ-centered lives. Obedient to the Word of God, they are following the law and when they sin, they ask for forgiveness. Thus, as they continue to grow, Jesus Christ is saving them from the power of sin. Other people have kept self on the throne. They have never received Jesus as their savior and the Bible says that they are literally lost and hell will be their destiny unless they accept Jesus Christ. 33

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Then there are those who receive Jesus Christ, but who still keep self on the throne. They are not Christ-centered; they are self-centered. The question for you today is, Where are you? If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, do you also allow Him to lead your life? Not only does He want to save you from the penalty of sin, He also wants to save you from the power of sin in your life. Hes given you the resources to do that, but you need to allow Him to deliver you from that power. Or perhaps you have been justified, you are saved from the penalty of sin, but Jesus Christ isnt the center of your life. So the question to you today is, Where is Jesus in your life? Is He outside looking in, or is He in the center of your life, leading you and saving you from the power of sin? Now lets look at the third aspect of salvation which is glorification. We are saved from the penalty of sin in justification, and we are being saved from the power of sin in sanctification. The Bible tells us, however, that there is a future salvation by which Jesus will save us from the very presence of sin in our lives. Romans 8:30 says, And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Glorification is also a progression. It is an accomplished act, but it is something that will be completed in the future. The apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20, Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to 34 Progress of salvation: Glorified

Where are you? Christ-centered vs self-centered

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bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. This is what we are looking forward to. At that time we will ultimately be saved from the very presence of sin. It will be done away with. We wont have to deal with it anymore. We are not talking about justification here, nor are we dealing necessarily with sanctification. Rather, we are talking about whats going to happen with this third aspect of salvationbeing saved from the very presence of sin. We often tend to think that our sanctification has to do with our justification. But its important to understand that the believer who continues to keep sinning may question their justification which becomes a problem. Justification is a gift; it has nothing to do with works. We are saved by faith and faith alone. Sanctification doesnt have anything to do with justification, but it has everything to do with glorification. When we question our salvation because we are sinning or we look at someone who professes to know Christ as their savior but is living a lifestyle contrary to that, we tend to question whether they are justified. The Bible says that if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved from the penalty of sin. But if were not living an obedient life and not being saved from the power of sin, this will have an impact on our glorificationthe moment we stand before God and give an account of our lives. My eighteen-year-old son, after one of my sermons, asked, You said that heaven is not going to be the same for everybody. What does that mean? Its easy to think that it is going to be the same for everyone, but the Bible indicates it is not. Now it is still going to be marvelous with many wonderful things to experience. We will live with Christ and our bodies will be transformed, but there are cer35

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tain things we wont be able to experience unless we are being saved from the power of sin right now. In the next two chapters we will discuss the rewards we will receive, as well as the conditions of these rewards. The apostle Pauls motivation to live a godly life had nothing to do with the penalty of sin. He was secure in that. We need to be secure in that as well. But he was desperately wanting to make sure he lived a godly life so he wouldnt miss out on anything in glorification. My son also asked, If there are different categories of people in heaven, wont there be jealousy and strife and all of that stuff? And I replied, Dan, did you graduate from high school? He said, Yeah. I said, Did you graduate with honors? No. Are you angry and upset with those who did graduate with honors? No. Thats a small illustration of the idea of different rewards in heaven. I could ask you the same questions: Did you graduate from high school? If so, you get to share all of the blessings of being a graduate. Did you graduate with honors? If not, are you angry and upset with those who did? Typically we are not. Were happy for them. However, when they give out those special honors, we may sit back and say, If I would have just worked a little bit harder, I could have been one of those. So rather than condemning those who receive the honors, were motivated to do better. That is how it will be when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of our lives. When we watch those who were obedient getting rewards and blessings, we wont be angry or jealous. Well just realize, I could have received those too. I had the same opportunities but I squandered them away. Thats what motivated the apostle Paulthe idea of glorification, and thats the celebration we look forward to. 36

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We know God loves all of us and He demonstrated that love for us on the cross. He wants to save us from the penalty of sin. We also realize that there is a dilemma because God wants to have a relationship with us but sin separates us. However, Jesus Christ solved that dilemma. Thats the celebration we have, to realize we have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved from the penalty as well the power of sin, and thats what we celebrate around the Lords Table. The bread and the cup are simple daily elements, common to us all. But they become significant when the body of Christ gathers together to be reminded of our salvation. Communion takes us back to the cost of our salvation. Although it is a free gift, it was not cheap. It cost Jesus Christ His very life. So as we conclude this chapter, my question to you is, Are you saved from the penalty of sin? You can be. Place your faith in Jesus Christ. Are you being saved from the power of sin? Jesus can save you and He can deliver you if you recommit yourself and say, Lord, Im going to follow Your Word. Ultimately He will save us from the very presence of sin. If you know Christ as your savior, celebrate with joy what He has already accomplished, what He is accomplishing, and what He will accomplish in your life. Thats salvation. Self-reflection

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Lord, today as I anticipate salvation, part of it has been done; I am saved from the penalty of sin by faith. But Lord, there is also the process of being saved from the power of sin. Lord, I pray that you give me that power and that strength through Your Word, through Your Spirit and through Your people. Lord, I look forward with wonderful anticipation to glorification, to being saved from the very presence of sin. But Lord, until that day comes, I pray that I will be faithful. Each time that I partake of the elements the bread that represents Your body, the cup that represents Your shed bloodmay they remind me again that although salvation is free, it is not cheap. It cost You Your very life. In Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer:

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If you have never taken that first step in your journey with Jesus Christ, ask Him to come into your life and forgive you of your sin. When you do that, He promises you heaven and eternal life. I would encourage and challenge you today to pray this very simple prayer for the beginning of a wonderful journey with Christ: Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I know I cant save myself. There is absolutely nothing I can do to earn salvation. But I know that Your death on the cross paid the penalty for my sin and I believe by faith that what you did on the cross can save me. I ask You to come into my life and to forgive me of my sin and then become the leader of my life. Amen.

Invitation

Prayer for believers

If you prayed this prayer and you believe Jesus Christ is now your savior, you dont need to fear hell and eternity separated from Him.

Lord, as followers of Christ, let us recommit ourselves. As believers, we have the answer that people are looking for, the good news of Jesus Christ as savior. We commit ourselves to be the instruments that You, Lord, use to touch peoples lives. May we boldly speak Your Word that reaches out with love and compassion to those in need. Father, may we never grow weary, never be lazy in sharing the good news of Christ. So Lord, we commit ourselves afresh and anew to You today. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. 76

VOCATIO PUBLISHERS Books For Those We Love www.vocatio.us

Kitty Chappell

I CAN FORGIVE IF I WANT TO

Forgiving the Unforgivable

This book is a true story of Gods power and grace. This triumphant story is liberating for every person, especially for those who do need to forgive the unforgivable, because ultimately the choice of forgiveness is before us all. Kitty, her mom and siblings suffered terrifying abuse at the hands of her father. She was born into an environment of violence, experienced the pain of abuse and the ravages of rage and resentment. Kitty Chappell felt she could never forgive her father even after becoming a Christian, especially after her father attempt to murder her mother. The question from somebody, Have you forgiven your father? infuriated her and agitated her for months with gut-wrenching anger and bitterness until she realized she needed to forgive her father. The problem was, she didnt want to. In desperation, she asked God to give her the power to forgive. God didnt answered that prayer, Kitty relates, for He was waiting for my obedience according to His order to forgive the others. Eventually she understood that God was waiting for her own personal decision to forgive her father, against all her emotions. When she did it God poured down on her His all heavenly blessings and empowered her to experience true freedom of her horrible legacy. Following Gods rules Kitty emerged not as just a mere survivor, but as a victorious overcomer. Chappells story is extraordinary not because of its anguish, but because she has emerged emotionally and spiritually whole. While her book begins with the horror of a child born into abuse, it ends with hope, for it is a book about overcomingnot merely surviving. There are millions of survivors, but few overcomers. What makes the difference? Read about it in the true story of Kitty Chappell, and know how she learned to become a victorious overcomer.

ISBN 978-0-9792342-3-1

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Author: Justyna D. Wacawik Illustrator: Jakub Kuma Parental Guidelines written by Josh McDowell

THE CRUCIAL TASK

ISBN 978-0-9792342-6-2

Author: Justyna D. Wacawik Illustrator: Jakub Kuma Parental Guidelines written by Gary Chapman

THE TRUE FRIEND

The forest animals invite you into their world of challenges through a series of ten Character Builders books. These books will inspire children and have a positive impact on their lives. The purpose of this series is to provide parents and teachers with the proper tools to develop healthy character traits in children. The blessing of starting while they are young is seeing in your child established strong, solid fundamentals, developed values and shaped character when they become young adults. Each of the forest animals has its own unique character and values. Through their attitude and choices their character is revealed which affects their characters. These stories help children to distinguish between good and bad choices. Both books contain special guidelines for parents and teachers. Questions for a discussion are provided which link the story with Biblical principles. This will help to shepherd the childs heart enabling him or her to think through situations and to make wise decisions.

ISBN 978-1-935227-04-5

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VOCATIO PUBLISHERS Books For Those We Love www.vocatio.us

Author: Piotr Haraszewski Illustrator: Zbigniew Freus THE BIRTH OF JESUS

This book presents a big picture of Gods salvation plan from the very beginning, when the first people had to leave the Garden of Eden. They received Gods promise of the Savior, who will reconcile people with God. Over the ages God repeated many times His promise to the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah or Zacharias. Eventually, He sent the angel to a young girl, Mary, who was chosen by Him to be the mother of the Savior. The Christmas story in this book contains also evangelization part in which there is a short summary of Gods salvation plan through Jesus and an opportunity to become a Christian through a simple prayer.

ISBN 978-0-9792342-5-5

Author: Piotr Haraszewski Illustrator: Jakub Kuma

ISBN 978-83-927983-3-0

THOSE PESKY BACTERIA

What parent wouldnt want their children to mature, be healthy, and learn about the world that surrounds them? We want our children to understand the basics of hygiene, proper nutrition, safety when dealing with strangers, and the consequences of their actions. At the same time, every wise parent realizes that these life lessons dont just happen overnight. They have to be patiently taught to our children. The book series LEARNING AND GROWING-UP is intended to help parents do a better job at just that.

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VOCATIO PUBLISHERS Books For Those We Love www.vocatio.us

PEARLS OF WISDOM FROM GOD

ISBN 978-0-9792342-1-7

TREASURES OF GODS PROMISES

Bible quotations in these books are from the best and the most recognizable Bible translations including NIV, NLT, ESV, Gods Word, HSCB, NCV, NKJV, NRSV, NASB, ERV and The Message. These beautifully bound, hard cover books contain many of the best loved scripture in the best of Bible translations. Each scripture verse is complimented by a beautiful corresponding photograph that underscores the message of the selected scripture. The original photographs and the unusually beautiful graphics provide a compelling gift. These are books that anyone would be proud to give or to own themselves. A great idea for a GIFT!

ISBN 978-0-9792342-0-0

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